ANASTASIA
by Lalagurl010301
Summary: "You are a queen, Anya" —Girls like Anya Moss have always been a liability to the society. A recovering addict with the dire need to provide for her brother, she was loosing her grip on her life. Her seemingly normal livelihood gets turned upside down when Stephen Strange arrives at her door with an unexpected news. [ INSPIRED BY ANASTASIA 1998 ] [ CONTINUES TO INFINITY WAR ]
1. EXTENDED SUMMARY

Anya Moss had always been a self destructive woman. As a recovering junkie with anger issues and a thirst for a good fight, she seemed to be loosing grip on reality all to quickly.

Even though her actions were largely defined by her sheer worry for her foster brother, Caleb, her modes of earning were still harmful.

Hence when she wakes up in a magic house one morning, she is startled by a keen Stephen Strange who seems all to willing to help her find " her people ". As secrets are spilled, Anya realises that she belongs to a long lost bloodline of warriors from Arabor who protected sacred relics of space and time.

Anya rediscovers herself through the mysteriously shrivelled up Doctor Strange, as they connect over their past undignified actions. With an impending war over their heads and a missing infinity stone, Anya decides to become the person she never dreamt of being.


	2. ARABOR

There naught a kingdom as humble as it was prosperous like the latent land of Arabor.

Wrapped in a serenity of flowing rivers and salty rocks, it was infamous for being mysterious as it was beautiful.

While Asgard and Vanaheim were infamous for their pride and blood tainted with an agility to a battle, Arabor unlike it's counterparts abstained from conflict. Ironically, since every member of the land was an esteemed warrior. Valkyries rose from them and as did mighty men yet the Araborians fashioned themselves to be patrons of tranquility.

But the truth had been much darker.

Arabor was not just a planet, it was a shell. A shell to protect the universe's greatest boon, or a bane for those who misused it's power. Presented by Infinity, herself, Arabor had been the protector of Volstaer a secretive casket that sat hidden away from the ordinary eyes of an Arborian common folk. It was only the royal Warlocks that had the fortune of knowing the secret, that passed was passed down their line.

The Warlocks were a different story entirely, birthed from golden remnants the Sovereign. With their tall stature and long golden tresses that shone under the sun, they were the embodiment of everything that was flawless in the universe and even though there remained a handful of them— if unleashing their full potential, they were capable of greatness as they were of great distruction.

Warlocks were not flawed. They could hardly have the audacity to. They were masters of magic as they were crafted for war. Perfection had been their curse.

Hence, with a lustrous sense of being they rulers the forbidden kingdom of Arabor.

That neither the gods, titans nor the esteemed sorcerers could infiltrate.

The Warlocks were grounded with humility. Had they soared high to conquer, then perhaps the universe would have been shielded from the fits of a mad titan, but the Warlocks dug too deep. Deep enough to land in their graves. Before their destiny arrived.

_

 **Hello,**

 **so this was just a small introduction about the fictional place of arabor that I'll be dealing with.**

 **This story is largely AU so many things will be different.**

 **It'll be a mix of things from the comics as well as the movies.**

 **hope you like it.**

 **I'd love to know your thoughts**

 **Thanks for reading x !**


	3. ANYA THE JUNKIE

There were two things that Anya enjoyed. Getting drunk out of her senses at Josie's on an uneventful Monday evening or busting some testosterone in the ring— _while she was drunk out of her senses._ Yet that Friday, she was doing neither. Instead, she had a thread hanging between her chapped lips as her shaky hands fumbled with a sewing needle as she tried to stitch through a tuxedo's hard fabric while her brother Caleb paced around the room. Running his fingers through the messy mop of his dark hair.

"How much longer?" He asked, frantically. After taking a much needed hault from his death march.

Anya spat the stray thread out of her mouth to look up, meeting the teenagers shifting gaze with her bored ones.

"Geez, Caleb. I am not a robot. This takes time. Especially since I haven't done it in ages"

The boy rolled his eyes.

"It's called being lazy. No wonder your shirts are always looking mutilated" a smug formed on his features, taunting Anya in her dire state.

"My lazy ass is the reason you're off to your homecoming, a lil' bit of respect wouldn't be so terrible now" Anya almost growled out of irritation.

Caleb scoffed at the idea and didn't dare dwell on it longer. He began pacing again when he realised that there was no point drawing the argument any longer. Anya had returned to her sewing rampage, as the task began looking so alien to her but she'd managed to pull though with the needed effort. The stitch was still quite amateur but the woman was still proud of her handiwork.

"So" Caleb drawled, taking a seat beside her on their makeshift couch that receded in hight once the weight was enhanced.

"How's work?"

The singular question had made Anya still. Her needle dangled partially penetrated into the cloth and her lips parted in dread. The truth was simple. _I got fired_. _Why? Well, because I broke my promise and got high during the shift._ The statement had been revised and rehearsed in her head for the past couple of weeks but at the dire moment the words wouldn't spill.

"I-uh" she cleared her throat and swallowed a lump, "Good"

"Just _good_? So nothing remotely interesting?" Caleb's gloomy face had upturned into a smirk when he placed his chin to the back of his wrist and leaned forward out if curiosity.

"If you call craning up garbage interesting then, sure" Anya shrugged, as she continued to focus her eyes on the jagged ends of the cloth.

"No. I mean"

He whispered the next part, "Did you get it on with those lumberjacks? Ned says that they have man tits. Which is kinda gross when you think about it"

Anya's face scrunched as she cringed. Yet again, she paused her work and raised a brow at her teen brother.

"First of all, I don't 'get it on' with strangers and secondly" she breathed out, "There are hardly any lumberjacks, only drunkards" _Like me._

"Ugh. Your life is so boring, Anya. How do you even feel like living it the same way?" The young boy of sixteen signed, unable to understand the tribulations of adulthood.

"I could say the same about your calculus homework, but you still have to do it, right? Like a great philosopher once said, you gotta keep swimming"

"Stop quoting Dory from Finding Nemo, Anya. I'm not ten"

Caleb rolled his eyes. Folding his arms to his chest, he slid on the couch to take a slanting position. Anya giggled under her breath as she continued twisting threads with her fingers. Silence had once again befallen the single room flat situated in Hell's Kitchen. The dimly lit living room that had been turned into a dumpster due to the overflow of school books and tattering cartons of things that had ceased to have a daily purpose. Poverty hadn't come as a choice to the Moss siblings. Ten years ago when their parents died, working at the Rand warehouses. The whole responsibility of s six year old had been shifted on the shoulders of girl who'd just turned nineteen. Since then, she'd kept Caleb close. Away from danger for she'd sworn to do so.

Anya seldom felt that she was turning into a grandmother. A grandmother with addiction problems and an anger issue. Yet the worst part had been the fact that she didn't know how to deal with it. The woman wouldn't be lying if she said that she felt lost at every step she took. A much needed support was provided by her closest friend, Stu but it was only for so long.

Drifting in her thoughts, Anya had finished a presentable stitch if the old tuxedo. A smile of appeasement crossed her face as she glanced at the cloth with pride. It was not perfect, but it was something.

"There you go" she said to Caleb, who too had been drowned in his thoughts.

He snapped out of his daze, and stared at the repaired piece of with surprise. It sure was wearable.

"Woah, for a lazy ass. You are pretty decent" he said, turning the previous torn holes to see the finish.

The elder sibling rolled her eyes.

"You're welcome, Cay" she called out.

Caleb Moss has already slipped into the tuxedo and pushed his dark hair back. A corsage was tucked into his chest pocket, firmly. The lack of knowledge about his date annoyed Anya. She had pestered him about the particular girl for days but he hasn't budged. And there he was, waiting for Ned but with no sign of a girl.

"You still haven't told me" she said, picking herself from the couch and walking up behind him as he fixed straightened his bowtie one last time.

Caleb sighed in defeat.

"She's called Michelle. She's really weird, but let's just say, she's my kinda weird"

He said with a small blush creeping up his freckled cheeks.

"Sounds pretty serious" Anya thought out loud with a smile.

"Nah, I mean-"

A loud honk pierced through the air and it was duely noted that Ned Leeds had parked by the their apartment. Caleb grabbed his coat in much hurry and hopped on to kiss his sister on her cheek.

"Bye Anya" he said urgently, ignoring the worried sister that rushed behind him down the stairs as well.

"Remember the drill? Don't forget to give me a call if there's trouble" she reminded him like a chant.

"Yeah yeah. Okay!"

Caleb jumped into the car with all his agility. Making Anya pant as she struggled to catch up with him.

"Hello, Anya!" Ned beamed.

"Hello dear" she gave him a tight lipped simple and turned to Caleb who was tying his shoes.

"I don't want any funny business from you okay? If things go really out of control then you know what to do. Wrap it before you tap it, 'kay?"

"Ew! Anya! That's gross!" Caleb screamed, shoving his sister away.

"I'm just looking out for you!" She sighed, signalling them to leave, " have fun you two"

"Will do Anya" the boys called out in unison.

The car drove away as swiftly it had arrived. The wind making the woman's shortly chopped hair fly over her face. Darkening her vision momentarily. Anya slowly removed the stray hair off her face in sheer irritation, regretting the urgent haircut that she had to undergo due to the shortage of water they face a few weeks ago.

As her vision cleared, Anya noticed a pair of brilliantly glistening eyes shining back at her under the badly lit street. It was a masculine figure indeed, but the man mush too confused to be a late night creep. The woman felt her alertness tingle, as she pulled her flannel close to her chest in fear of the worst and began walking up. Only to be stopped by a pair of arms around her waist.

"Aaah!" She shrieked.

A low but familiar chuckle filled the woman's ears. Anya sighed in relief, realising the person's identity.

"Stu! You fucking idiot" she said shoving him with her elbow as her grunted on impact. "You scared the shit out of me!" She screamed, again. Her face flustered under the tense air that seemed to envelope her few moments ago.

"Look at my little one, aren't you a but jumpy? Say what Anya, did the long break off the ring weaken your senses?" Anya turned to face her friend who was holding his laughing even with the blow in his stomach.

"You know that it was not a choice" Anya stated, her palm flying to cup her forehead.

"And you know that I don't blame you. Even though I still believe it is your best shot" the man shrugged.

Stuart Miller or Stu as she called him had been with Anya through thick and thin. Which made the two really close. Anya seldom studied the dude, although he was of a simple mind. His tilted brown eyes and his spiked up hair were very distinguishing in the crowd as were his tribal tattoos that covered his arm. Besides all of this, Stu was still the only well-wisher she'd left. The only one who'd be there for her. Even at the end of the world and this was a feeling much too warm.

"Stu knows the best, isn't it?" Anya chuckled, as did he.

"Of course. Now, let's not freeze to death here. Jordan and Zoe have already infiltrated your pad and of we're fortunate then they're probably out" he explained.

Anya's eyes widened in realisation.

"They snuck in, while I was here for like five minutes?"

"They're good at it" Stu winked, taking the girl's arm and dragging her up the stairs.

Anya turned ome last time to find the man with glowing eyes, but to her dismay he'd already left. _What a creep!_ She thought as she continued up with her friend.

The dark and long stairway up to her flat was an annoying journey. Her landlord was reluctant of the bare necessities of light and held a disregard for accidents. Anya grabbed the railings that were rough under her already calloused hands while holding onto Stu by her out limb as the man flipped on his cellphone screen to feebly light the way.

"I may have found a job. It's nearby with an adequate payment and some fun time" Stuart said with a small smile.

"Really?" Anya's face lit up.

"Yep. There's a Dojo owned by this woman called Colleen Wing and I heard she's hiring anybody with some experience with cleaning. Since you do have a particular niche for garbage. I signed you up for an unofficial interview"

 _Cleaning job_. It was another mundane task. Something she'd grown to detest for a long time. She wanted to be enthusiastic about it, but her I'll habits would again catch up with this job as well. Leaving her, once again, broke.

Stuart was kind to seek out opportunities for her but she had barely payed him for it. She knew he wasn't doing it for any payment but she'd ought to show her gratitude. Stuart knew that her passion was to break ribs in the primitive rings of the street fighting arena. That seemed to control her fits of rage as well as earn a great deal but on the hindsight it brought back her troubles with drugs that she'd so desperately tried to cure.

The pair had soon reached her apartment door, through which the giggles of the two youngsters was well heard, prompting Anya to admit her realisation.

"I can't thank you enough, Stu. You are so kind to me" she said with a weak smile.

The man pulled her into a tight embrace. "You needn't. Caleb deserves a good life and I am happy as to how you're trying to give him one"

As they pulled away, the door was pushed open. To reveal Jordan and Zoe sitting on the couch with small parchments of paper scattered on the floor. Anya's breath hitched at the sight of the drugs and it's quantity while Stu's palm balled into fists at the comprehension of the situation.

"Anya!" Jordan called out with an ear reaching grin.

"Heard that Rockefeller is challengin' the whole of our territory for a fight tonight" he said excitedly, leaping from his position with a wobbling stance.

"Sounds great, Jordan. He's a tough cookie" Anya smiled, walking directly into the kitchen to grab some water as Jordan followed her.

"Yep. And guess who's the only person that made him bite the dust in the past?" He said with a childlike wonder in his eyes, "You! Anya the unbreakable!"

 _Anya the unbreakable._

She rolled her eyes at the silly name that they'd made up. There were times when she was unbeatable, true. But she was after all a human. She could be beaten easily and defeat was something she didn't take in a good way.

"How much is he paying" she asked, the eagerness evident in her tone.

"Five hundred"

"You're a fucking bluff, Jordan" she pushed him irritably, but the man held her arm with a firm grip.

"Not a word that I say is a lie"

His brown eyes bore into her green ones, proving the authenticity of the challenge. Anya could feel herself giving in. The money was huge and with Caleb's savings lowering every other day she could use it. Heck, she could save it up for his college or insurance. It was a wild idea to take a right after months of being away but the idea was much too tempting to be forgotten so easily.

"When is it?" She asked.

"Midnight" Anya nodded in response and prepared to leave the kitchen to grab her equipment for the fight.

"Wait! I got Juice" Jordan smirked, drawing a drag painted parchment from his pockets that was similar to the ones that were scattered on her floor.

"I can't-"

"It's the new stuff. Japanese I heard. Try it girl, it'll give you some energy"

"Really Jordan, I can't-"

"Take a sniff, Anya. It won't hurt. You've always liked this stuff"

With a hesitant will and shaky hands Anya latched onto the parchment in the next few moments.

Then began the vicious cycle of addiction that lasted the next hour despite Stuart's pleas. Smoke after smoke, lines after lines were snorted in. Minds were trembling, anger was boiling and a promise was being broken. As Anya descended into bliss, she was lost. It was then Anya the unbreakable had turned into Anya the junkie, yet again.

 ***Please do leave a review***

 **Thank you for reading !**


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